Bruce Dickinson - What Does This Button Do?

Don't get me wrong, i like the chapters dedicated to flying , i just thought Bruce would be more passionate about music than flying. I was wrong .However if Bruce decides to publish a book dedicated to his aviation related experiences i would read it happily .
 
Do spoilers about book content still apply? If so, here are few remarks since I've just read it:

Well, I liked the book. Autobiography's are a hard thing to write (especially without a ghost writer and I applause Bruce for that) and even harder to make them interesting. Considering the facts that I already knew a lot of stuff and that Bruce is my personal hero, I've still enjoyed it. What I would also like to apraise is how well he zig-zaged around his personal life. No matter what your job or proffesion is, your personal life will always and in a different matters coincide with your job and hiding the facts that his personal relations also had an impact on his music was well made. I expected that a fair bulk of the book will be about flying and I didn't mind it, I don't think he prefers aviation to music. But I was suprised the bulk about fencing, I knew he fenced in the 80's, I just didn't knew it was such a big deal for him.

Style of writing is, undoubtedly, his. Litlle bit of boosting, litlle bit of self awaraness, little bit of sarcasm and at some point I had a felling like this guy is sitting opposite me in a bar and is telling me stories from his life. Although, some parts felt really technical and statistical, which made me browse over them a little. I also don't think that some parts are rushed. To me, there is no point in writing some things Maiden related if he really wasn't involved that much. Speaking of that, I was surprised about part when he spoke of Adrian's departure. First time that I view on that Maiden chapter from that point of view. Also, another chapter that suprised me (positively) was his battle with cancer. Somehow I thought he'll hover through it but he went through it in detail, and if felt really sincere when he described the struggles of going though chemo.

Last year, I thought about buying a plane ticket and go to one of his book signings. But then reality kicked in and I canceled.
I still hope he'll add some more dates in Europe (except Norway), it would be nice to shake the man's hand and say "Thank you."
 
Good question. Tbh, I think anyone who still hasn't read it and doesn't want to know anything about the content in advance would be sensible and avoid this thread.
 
Brigantium said:
Good question. Tbh, I think anyone who still hasn't read it and doesn't want to know anything about the content in advance would be sensible and avoid this thread.
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The book was released months ago (not worldwide though). If we are going to have to use spoilers until any potential forum user has had a chance to read it, it is never going to end! :lol:
 
Black Abyss Babe said:
I was struck by the revelation that Nicko had played on (a version of) "Heartsong" the Gordon Giltrap piece - the theme to the BBC's "Holiday" programme. This is genuine news to me. The drummer on the album was called Simon Phillips and the single was the same version as far as I know.
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If I remember correctly, Bruce mentions being partially responsible for the opening drum roll of Where Eagles Dare, as he asked Nicko to play something along the lines of the drum roll on the Giltrap song, to which Nicko replied: "That was me!"

This is the song featuring the drum roll in question:

 
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Loved the book, loved the presentation of it because given management and just their general style, these were as far of details as we were going to get that were not totally regurgitated.

I have to say, I actually found it rather inspirational, and the connection to flying - even if it's not that nascent passion that I had, I can understand that connection to it, going back to childhood - to read how he writes about ascending for the first time, and then ascending for the first time after being cleared of cancer? Boy, that was something.

Did it become largely about flying in the end? Yes. But I think he went on a fair amount about fencing when that was the new thing he was mastering as well. It's just how his life's gone.

Could I have done with more in the vein of everything leading up to Sarajevo? Absolutely - but in the end it was the story I was hoping for and the one that really did make the most sense for Bruce to tell.
 
I’ve just finished reading the book, it was just as expected regarding content, music, aviation, and lots of funny stories (never thought Martin/Marvin Birch were a karate/drinking champion!).
However, I believe Bruce could have made an even longer and more complete autobiography, he is an excellent storyteller and writer.
 
GhostofCain said:
If I remember correctly, Bruce mentions being partially responsible for the opening drum roll of Where Eagles Dare, as he asked Nicko to play something along the lines of the drum roll on the Giltrap song, to which Nicko replied: "That was me!"

This is the song featuring the drum roll in question:

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Nicko's explanation of how the Where Eagles Dare drum fill came to be, talking briefly about Bruce's involvement (the explanation begins at 6:28):

 
What a dick move by Marshall. Apparently, after Nicko's friend Jim Marshall passed they removed his SIT kit from the exibition, because they needed the space and they scattered it all across the Marshall storage. Nicko had to buy it back from Marshall (he probably donated it in the first place).

Dicks.
 
Did I also hear that right that they lost the original cymbals that were a part of the set in the exhibition? That is some amazing incompetence.
 
As a 29 year old, I didn't like the parts( i think there were two) where Bruces slyly takes a dig at the older fans saying that BNW was for the young fans. I think Nicko has said something about the older/younger fans thing.

The older lot are the reasons your famous in the first place, they should not forget that. On a slightly unrelated note bands like Maiden/Metallica owe alot to nu-metal bands like Linkin Park, Slipknot ect as being a gateway to heavy metal in general.
 
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